Single, childless and ‘boring’: social changes that modify consumption

50 years, year above year down, does create a portrait robot of a consumer was simple, because in the end all were cut from the same pattern: Certain formative years, look for a partner with whom to share your life and above all have few children, a family owned house (if you were doing a portrait robot of US consumer you could add in the suburbs) and a few aspirational purchases like a car or a family vacation. But 50 years later all this profile has remained in just Hipster material for songs and grainy images in series and advertisements retro air. The consumer is no longer the case. And the work of advertisers today is far from how easy it could be to those of the era of Mad Men.

Families have long ceased to be so. There is no father, mother and a couple of kids. Now the combinations are much more diverse and advertisers have ahead the challenge of reaching them all. Generational changes have also modified as are those consumers who have to reach. Baby boomers 50 years gave way to the X generation, which is now being superseded by the millennials (the largest object of desire for brands because they are the largest group of consumers for a long time) and even its replacement, the generation Z.

But besides generational changes, there have been many sociological changes. Consumers no longer live the life of their grandparents scheduled and have appeared new forms of life completely groundbreaking with what was done before. Consumers are increasingly diverse, its fragmentary and, for advertisers, it features reach them is increasingly complex. Use standard messages for all is increasingly suicidal from the point of view of the mark.

To begin with , the idea of marriage is becoming less popular. Half of Americans are not, today, married, according to a study by an economist and comparing the figure with the 70s (when singles were 37% of the population). As indicated in BusinessWeek, the situation is more than a curious note on demographics, it is also a mark of change in the economy. Bachelors, living alone, are less likely to certain consumption patterns (such as buying a house and mortgaged) and weaker to changes (becoming unemployed is more poignant because they have to lean) but more open to others ( as job geographical flexibility) and more effective in taking decisions change (may, for example, adjust your budget with fewer problems).

This sociological change (Edward Yardeni’s been dubbed as ‘selfies’) also imply changes in birth ratios (singles alone are less open to having children) and products and services that are willing to invest.

United States and about the demographic reality of northern Europe, where singles are a very important part of the overall society for some time. In Paris or Stockholm, households with singles exceed half. In Spain, statistics has shown in recent decades a more or less similar trend: fewer people get married (and if it does it does civilly) and does so at a later age. In 30 years, the marriage rate has dropped to half.

The rise of singles as consumer products and services has generated in recent years, from cruises and trips for singles who always get a story on the news of summer until the boom of everything focuses on individuality.The singles have been courted by brands that were spending more, but the truth is that as we become the strongest demographic statistics point to brands they will have no choice but to go directly to them.

Childless

The boom has made single births are reduced or will do. Offspring has ceased to be an obligation or a vital purpose as was the case 50 years ago to simply be an option. And as has increased its condition of an optional, they have increased the population groups who decide to simply not have children. And among the demographic changes that are changing consumption patterns this is one that has great effects.

Products for those people without children and not feel like they have multiplied in recent years. There are, for example, all hotels that are advertised as adults only and guarantee an environment free of kids guests.With more controversial, some restaurants tried to do something similar.Travelers without children spend on different things (and possibly spend more) and look for segments slightly higher than the travelers family consumption. And this is just one example of all consumers without children are changing.

The clearest example of this change in consumption patterns is calledGeneration NoMo , an acronym that is already circulating through the network and has established itself to describe all those women who have decided voluntarily and for reasons that are not have children . Already they have books, advocates and manifestos . For Brands represent a new source of income (they are consumers and seek certain products over others) and above all a challenge, as they will have to update the outdated and obsolete way always women of a certain age (as if head they could not be more than mothers ads detergent).

The NoMo add to the Panks, or “Professional Aunts, No Kids,” (professional aunts without children, or modern and positive version of the maiden aunts with money from the past). These women have no children, although much purchasing power and those who benefit from it are his nephews. The Panks an average of $ 387 spent on each nephew, according to a study by Weber Shandwick. A year, Panks spend 9,000 billion globally. They are highly connected consumers and technologized and seek quality.

And boring

But the changes will not only work to offspring or interpersonal level, demographic and sociological changes that face the marks are much more motley. The new generations are very different from the previous ones .The millennials seek other than those seeking their parents, as committed trademarks or natural products, and have also led to the emergence of new social subgroups that are an added challenge for companies things. It is what happens, for example, with the Generation Yawn, or Yawn Generation , which could be a group within the millennials (if not the millennials in general) to be conquered with traditional weapons with which he conquers the youth is a mistake (and are becoming major trend).

There is more to see the trend upward social media article The Telegraphpublished the confession of one of these young people and has become a kind of manifesto in the last weeks of this new social group. Drink less, use less drugs and have as concerning whiter than could be expected characters. As explained the journalist who has given a name to change, JK Rowling is more influential than Miley Cyrus. They dress in retro clothes, have as fashion icon Taylor Swift (the American singer who has made his unblemished appearance your personal brand) and actually prefer to stay knitting a Saturday night at home than go out partying. And although as a young explained to Telegraph , it feels a little “guilty” for not being holiday, the end that is not what they like.